


not that i need reminding

by nicolorenaldigenovia



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Artist Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Conversations with a Stranger, Established Relationship, Fluff, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani is an Incurable Romantic, M/M, Post-Canon, Universe Vibe Check
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicolorenaldigenovia/pseuds/nicolorenaldigenovia
Summary: “You look in love.”Joe blinks, looking up at the voice. There’s a woman, a little younger than Nile, or maybe just her age, sitting beside him on the bench now. She’s smiling at him, and he gives her what he hopes is an equal one, before nodding softly, gently tapping his pencil on his sketchbook.He knows the answer, of course he does. Yes. He is in love. Truly, madly, deeply, or however they say it. He knows all of this already.But he’s willing to play.“And how does that look?”---or joe gets a vibe check from the universe.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 42
Kudos: 879





	not that i need reminding

**Author's Note:**

> i got inspired by looking at the icons of two admins on a TOG discord. so i dedicate this to nicoloyusuf and permetsu on tumblr.

“You look in love.”

Joe blinks, looking up at the voice. There’s a woman, a little younger than Nile, or maybe just her age, sitting beside him on the bench now. She’s smiling at him, and he gives her what he hopes is an equal one, before nodding softly, gently tapping his pencil on his sketchbook.

He knows the answer, of course he does. Yes. He is in love. Truly, madly, deeply, or however they say it. He knows all of this already.

But he’s willing to play.

“And how does that look?” he asks instead and the woman tilts her head slightly to the side, blood waves falling off her shoulder, glancing towards where he was just looking, humming.

“At peace,” she whispers, after a moment. “Like you’re so sure,” she adds. “Which one?”

He turns his head back where she’s looking and smiles. Nile, Nicky and Andy are all a few meters away from the bench he’s at, sitting under a tree and talking amongst each other. Nicky’s leaning on Nile, talking softly, with Andy laughing wildly between them, laying on the grass with her head on Nicky’s thigh.

Whatever the exchange, it must've been at Nicky’s expense, judging at the soft blush on his cheeks, and Nile’s unabashed laughter, throwing her head back as she does, wide grin and a playful smack on Nicky’s shoulder.

Joe finds himself smiling at the sight, and he wants to run towards them. But he made a point to walk away, determined to capture the day. They went to the park for this exercise, after all, and they all humoured him.

He should at least get one set of sketches done.

“Is it the blushy one?” he hears and Joe laughs softly, and he nods, looking down at his book for a moment. So far he’s done different angles of his beloved’s face, and while Andy’s used to it, he really wants to at least have two of Nile, because the kid’s starting to get convinced that he only knew how to draw Nicky and Nicky alone.

“Definitely,” he says, turning to her again. She’s smiling softly at him, her blue eyes twinkling a little.

“It shows,” she says, shrugging a little, and Joe can see her eyes flickering, like she’s taking in his features. He’s used to people looking, at him, and at Nicky. They’re not naïve, not even on the days where their years on this earth were considered normal rather than magic. They know how they look, and they know how others taken them in.

Some are curious, others lecherous, but they take it to stride. Those that make the mistake of looking wrong at either of them or their family very rarely get to do it twice.

But this woman is different. It’s something new, but also familiar. She’s admiring. Observing. Like she wants to learn. It doesn’t feel wrong, and almost holds a childlike innocence to it. And it might be that, that’s why it’s familiar. It holds the same inkling that kids have when they look up at him, asking to see his drawings, many at times, in different years, different centuries. She is young, after all.

“I’m glad it does,” Joe says, after a moment, smiling at her, and is impressed when she doesn’t falter, her eyes still taking in his features. “I want the world to know how much I love him.”

The woman hums again, smiling softly at his words, gaze finally settling to stare into his own. Then her eyes crinkle as she smiles wider, before turning back to his family, and Joe does the same.

They’re still talking amongst each other, but this time Nicky is more animated, pointing at Andy, the tip of his index finger so close her nose, and Andy makes a show of trying to bite it, making Nile giggle wildly, almost falling back as she throws her head back again in her glee, Nicky’s hand already catching her, and holding her steady.

Joe’s heart sings at the sight, and his hand starts to move again, over the page. The woman lets out a soft noise, and he glances at her to see her smiling at him, eyes shining, looking at his drawing.

“I hope my face looks like yours,” she says, eyes on his book, and Joe blinks, pausing for a second, before continuing. But before he can question, she continues. “When I fall in love.”

She sounds excited about the idea, though her voice remains soft, airy. Joe smiles, continuing his sketch, looking up at his family and catches Nicky looking at him. He winks, even though he’s not sure that his beloved would be able to see. But when Nicky smiles, and looks down, he knows that he was able to reach him.

“So sure, and at peace?” he asks, using the words the woman did at the beginning of this whole thing. She nods, and shifts a little closer when his hand moves, and he finds himself moving towards her, showing more of the page as she starts on Nile’s features.

“Yes,” the woman says after a moment, and Joe glances at her long enough to see her eyes following ever stroke of his pencil on the page, and he knows that he has her full attention.

“I am at peace when I am with him,” Joe says, after a moment. “As long as I know that he is with me, whether I am physically by his side or not, I can feel his love.”

“It shows,” he hears, and he pauses again, looking at her now. The woman meets his gaze then, and she shrugs, when it becomes clear to her that he’s waiting.

“There is a sureness in you,” she says, and her words make him rethink his thoughts that she is young. She still might be, but her soul maybe old.

Some are just born that way. Young hearts, old souls. It can be heavy and light at the same time, and he can see that in her now.

“You love him, and you know that he loves you,” she says, before smiling and taking a deep breath. Then she lets out a sigh, and looks up at the sky, closing her eyes as she throws her head back a little.

“When I fall in love, I want to look like that,” she says, and it sounds like a heartfelt wish that Joe wants to be fulfilled.

“I wish it for you as well,” he says, and the woman opens her eyes then, and meets his gaze.

“Thank you,” she says. Then, she’s standing up, giving him a small wave as she bounces on the spot for a moment. Joe stares after her, blinking.

“You’re leaving?” he asks, even though he’s not sure why. She smiles at him then, and nods, glancing towards his family.

“Thank you for showing me your art,” she says, before giving him another smile, her eyes staring into his in a way that should unsettle him, but instead it just brings him comfort.

“You’re welcome,” he mutters, and watches as she starts to walk away. She gets about a foot away from the bench before she looks back, smiling.

“You’re really lucky. I really hope I look like that one day,” she says, before completely walking away then, and Joe finds himself staring after her, long after she’s disappeared into the crowd.

No name. Just words, and if no one were to reassure him that she was really there, it can very well be possible that she’s all in his head.

“Making friends, my love?”

Joe blinks, and looks back to find Nicky sitting beside him on the bench, pressing close. He’s smiling at him. He glances towards the grass and finds both Nile and Andy laying beside each other, and it’s clear that they’re talking while they stare up the leaves.

When he looks back at Nicky, he leans into him, kissing him softly.

Not one of his imagination then. An actual stranger, with kind and sweet words to strengthen the kindle to a flame that’s always burning. The universe dropping little healing reminders of what Joe knows to be true: that no matter how things may change and no matter how the world can falter around them, Nicky is a factor that will remain _sure._

And nothing can ever shake that.

“I didn’t get her name,” he whispers against his lips after a moment, and Nicky laughs weakly.

“What did you talk about?” Nicky asks, voice soft and curious, tilting his head slightly. Joe grins then, staring into his eyes.

“Being in love,” he says, putting his sketchbook and pencil down completely, and framing Nicky’s face in both of his hands, looking into his eyes.

“And how sure I am of you.”


End file.
